Police and Thieves

"Police and Thieves" is a well known reggae song, first recorded in the Jamaican reggae style by the falsetto singer Junior Murvin in 1976 (Island WIP 6316), and one year later in a punk-reggae version by The Clash. Murvin's first commentary was "They have destroyed Jah work!".[1]

The song was written by Murvin and the man who originally produced the song, Lee "Scratch" Perry. The studio band was jamming and Murvin was playing with words at Perry's Black Ark Studio when suddenly sound, rhythm, melody and lyrics appeared in a structured form and Perry decided to record the song the same afternoon. The next day dub-versions and versions with different lyrics were recorded. The song, about gang war and police brutality, was out on the street in a couple of days and became a big hit in Jamaica. Later on, the song proved to be a bigger sales and club hit in England than in Murvin's and Perry's native Jamaica.[2]

The English punk rock band Clash's punk/reggae version appeared on their eponymous debut album. The Clash's version, which is six minutes in length, is an example of a rock band incorporating reggae into their repertoire.[3]

The song had been a rehearsal room favourite of the band. It had not originally been planned for inclusion on The Clash, but an impromptu version the band started playing during a break in a recording session, spurred the decision to finalize their own arrangement, record it, and include the finished article on their album.

In the beginning of the song, Joe Strummer reinterprets the line "They're going through a tight wind" as a tribute to The Ramones, already an established American punk band and an influence on The Clash. The lyric line appears in the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop".

Murvin's version appeared in the 1998 movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels by Guy Ritchie. It was also covered by the group Dubversive in 1997 as a drum and bass song and as a reggae version the following year.

The Clash version of the song also appears on the soundtrack for the Wes Anderson film, The Royal Tenenbaums, and in the Reno 911!: Miami movie where it is performed by Dave Grohl, who is listed in the credits under the pseudonym "Sprechen Sie Deutsch".

Notes

1. ^ Wildon, C. (1996) More About the Punk & Reggae. Wellington: Samoa Publishing.
2. ^ Steve Barrow (1994), "Interview with Max Romeo in June 1994 as a part of the Reggae Archive Object". Lee Scratch Perry Arkology. Kingston: Island Jamaica for Island Records Ltd.
3. ^ Don Letts (2000) The Clash: Westway to the World. Music documentary. New York: Sony Music Entertainment; Dorismo; Uptown Films.

References

• Gilbert, Pat (2005) [2004]. Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash (4th edition ed.). London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1845131134. OCLC 61177239. 
• Gray, Marcus (2005) [1995]. The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town (5th revised edition ed.). London: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1905139101. OCLC 60668626. 
• Green, Johnny; Garry Barker (2003) [1997]. A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with The Clash (3rd edition ed.). London: Orion. ISBN 0752858432. OCLC 52990890. 
• Gruen, Bob; Chris Salewicz (2004) [2001]. The Clash (3rd edition ed.). London: Omnibus. ISBN 1903399343. OCLC 69241279. 
• Needs, Kris (2005-01-25). Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash. London: Plexus. ISBN 085965348X. OCLC 53155325. 
• Topping, Keith (2004) [2003]. The Complete Clash (2nd edition ed.). Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 1903111706. OCLC 63129186.